




















































Glass_ & V °i U 5 


Rook ',TS 

Copyright N°_ 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 


















Practical Golf 


BY 


Dave Thomson 

Professional, Washington Golf and Country Club 


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DAVE THOMSON PUBLISHING CO. 

Rosslyn, Va. 



Copyright, 1923 
By Dave Thomson 


Price One Dollar 


DEC 12 B23 

©C1A766310 



NATIONAL CAPITAL PRESS, INC., WASHINGTON, D. 0. 


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FOREWORD 

It is generally accepted that a book on 
golf, in order to correctly teach the 
game, must be accompanied by illustra¬ 
tions of the various strokes, diagrams 
of lines of play and so forth. 

The author contends, however, that 
such will be the case only in instances 
where the posing individual (usually a 
man) is of relatively corresponding 
height and weight to the embryonic 
golfer. 

He believes that word pictures are 
immeasurably more effective, in pro¬ 
ducing good results, than photographs 
or drawings, and, with confidence leaves 
the matter to the reader's judgment 
after the instructions contained in this 
book have been faithfully followed. 


3 









PART ONE 

This section is intended primarily for be¬ 
ginners and is the result of several years’ 
successful teaching by Dave Thomson, 
one of the leading golf players in 
Scotland and, at present, professional, 
Washington Golf and Country Club, 
Rosslyn, Va. 

Careful and conscientious study of 
the instructions will enable the prospec¬ 
tive golfer to play a fairly good game 
in remarkably short time and prepare 
the player for the proper understanding 
of Part Two of this book. 

Having secured a driver or a brassie, 
provide yourself with a practice ball 
for outdoors or a cotton one for indoors 
or backyard, and proceed as outlined 
in the following pages. 


5 


6 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


Direction in Which Ball Is to Be 

Sent 

This is accomplished by placing the 
club on the ground immediately behind 
the ball, with the hitting surface at 
true right angles to the objective. 
Many good shots are spoiled simply 
because the club has been faced in the 
wrong direction. 

The Grip 

Grip the club, about two inches from 
end of shaft, with the fingers of the 
LEFT hand, keeping the back of the 
hand showing so that the V formed by 
forefinger and thumb is pointing to 
right shoulder. The LEFT thumb 
should be pressed against the point 
where the right-upper corner of the 
shaft would be were it square instead 
of round. 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


7 


Be certain you are gripping with the 
fingers and not with the palm of the 
hand, for this point will prove of great 
importance as your knowledge of the 
game increases. 

Next, place the RIGHT h,^nd on the 
club with the palm skywards^ then grip 
the fingers around the handle and, if 
you have correctly followed the fore¬ 
going, the two V’s formed by the fore¬ 
fingers and thumbs will be pointing in 
the direction of your right shoulder. 
Be conscious, from this point on, that 
grip of fingers has not changed . 

The Stance 

Set the feet about eighteen inches 
apart, having the right foot touching 
and the left foot about three inches 
behind an imaginary line from right 
toe to objective. Turn the left toe out 


3 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


at an angle of 45 degrees. Bend head 
well down from neck and bend body 
forward at waist sufficiently to let the 
club head touch the ground. Duck 
the right shoulder slightly towards the 
right foot and keep both elbows fairly 
close to the body. Relax the right 
knee and ankle as, in order to reach 
lower with the right hand than with 
the left, the entire right side of body 
must be lowered. In this position 
the player is standing at address or 
addressing the ball preparatory to 
making a stroke. 

The Backward Swing 

This, in order to be correctly graceful, 
calls for the cooperation of six different. 
movements, i. e., by the hands, arms, 
feet, knees, hips and shoulders, faulty 
action of any one of which may ruin 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


9 


the result of the stroke. To take the 
club back properly, push the LEFT 
hand down and, at the same time, 
swing the arms to the right side of the 
body, then lift the hands in a semi¬ 
circle in the direction of the back of 
the head. Simultaneously, raise the 
left heel about one and one-half inches 
off the ground and bend the left knee 
towards the ball, being careful not to 
turn left heel outwards but only lift it. 
This bending of the left knee will enable 
your body to pivot around at the hips 
without moving the head out of place. 

The Downward Swing 

Commence the down swing with the 
idea of making your club head describe 
a complete circle, catching the ball at 
the point where the club head has 
reached the bottom of the arc. In 
hitting the ball, try to hit on through 


IO 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


the ball for about a foot, then allow 
the club to swing on and up in back of 
your head. During the down swing 
the body and foot movements are 
opposite to what occur while you are 
backswinging. As soon as you start 
the club down towards the ball, the 
right shoulder should begin working 
under and the right knee should com¬ 
mence to break towards the ball while 
the right foot must turn on the ball of 
the foot, raising the heel off the ground 
about three inches. At the impact 
your LEFT heel must be solidly on the 
ground and the left knee be in an almost 
tight position when the club hits the 
ball since it is the LEFT foot which 
receives the force of the blow and, unless 
it is flat on the ground at impact, your 
effort will be wasted. Careful atten¬ 
tion should be given to make the club 
and foot movements in unison. 


PRACTICAL GOLF n 

In General 

1. The beginner should never hurry 
the stroke , and, by taking time, will 
find that the club will come around 
without any great effort. Coordi¬ 
nation of movements is absolutely 
necessary, and it is impossible to 
execute them correctly by hurrying 
through the swing. 

2. At all times keep your eye on the 
back of the ball until you have hit it 
on its way. 

3. Patient practice is required to 
perfect the complete swing and, after 
learning to swing the club in a true 
circle, the beginner should concentrate 
on the action of the feet, knees, hips 
and shoulders. As the club is taken 
up on the back swing, the following 
movements take place simultaneously: 

a . The Left heel rises off the ground. 


12 PRACTICAL GOLF 

b. The Left knee bends towards the 

ball. 

c. The Left hip turns towards the ball. 

d. The Left shoulder turns and very 

slightly ducks towards the ball. 

The club at top of swing should be 
at the horizontal, the clubhead pointing 
towards the ground and the shaft being 
about three inches back of the player’s 
neck. 

4. Always remember that the head 
should be kept perfectly steady while 
making the body movements, and not 
swayed from side to side. This point 
is difficult for beginners, as they in¬ 
variably try to get the weight of the 
body into the swing too early, thus 
causing swaying. Swing the arms and 
let the body follow. 

5. The foregoing instructions cover 
the swing for the driver, which is the 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


13 


club of longest range and calls for the 
longest and most perfect swing. They 
are applicable, however, with modi¬ 
fications, to the swing of all clubs 
necessary to the golf neophyte, and a 
brief account of them now follows. 

The Brassie 

The brassie is merely a driver with a 
brass plate attached to the sole of the 
club to assist in cutting through any 
grass in which the ball may be lying. 
In playing the brassie, directions for 
driver hold good except that you stand 
slightly nearer the ball and swing a 
trifle more upright, being sure to swing 
on through the ball along the imaginary 
line from ball to green. Use a firm 
finger hold, and endeavor to aim accu¬ 
rately. In fact, success with the brassie 
depends on guiding the club accurately 
to the ball, because you cannot get a 


14 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


successful result if the clubhead hits 
the ground before reaching the ball. 

The Micliron or Med mm Club 

This club is made of iron or steel 
with a shorter shaft than the driver or 
brassie. In playing the midiron, stand 
nearer the ball than when using a 
brassie, and adopt a slightly more open 
stance than that for the wood clubs. 
Swing a fairly upright circle and hit 
the ball from just between the feet. 
Make the club head hit the ball and the 
ground simultaneously, i.e., do not 
scrape the club along the ground, 
which causes it to touch the ground 
before reaching the ball whereby much 
of the effort is prematurely wasted. 
Be careful that the LEFT arm is not 
allowed to bend at the elbow in using 
the midiron, and, at impact, the LEFT 
heel must be on the ground. 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


15 


TKe Mask le or Lofting Iron 

This club is simply an iron with con¬ 
siderable loft, thereby enabling the 
ball to be lifted into the air, which is 
necessary in order to approach most 
modern greens. In using the mashie, 
keep the LEFT foot flat on the ground 
during the back swing, which should 
only reach the level of the shoulders, 
since the mashie does not require a full 
swing to be effective. Be sure that the 
LEFT arm is kept in an almost stiff 
position throughout the swing as, 
having the elbow and wrist too loose, 
results in a flubbed shot. Make the 
stance slightly more open than when 
playing the midiron and, the shorter 
the stroke, the more open should be 
the stance. Be sure the weight is on 
the LEFT foor at impact. 


16 PRACTICAL r GOLF 

ttKk 

Tlie Niblick 

The niblick is used in sand traps, 
high rough grass and ditches, and has a 
large circular head, is fairly heavy, and 
is kept by most players as a sort of 
blasting tool. When the ball lies low 
down in sand, grip the niblick tightly, 
swing it like a mashie and try to hit 
the sand heavily about two inches back 
from the ball. Send the club on under 
the ball and through the sand, by 
doing which ball and sand will be 
forced together out of the hazard. 
In advanced golf, the niblick is often 
used in place of the mashie-niblick or 
pitcher, and many good players rely 
on the niblick for the short approach. 

The Putter 

This club is made of wood, iron, 
steel, brass or aluminum for the pur¬ 
pose of putting the ball into the small 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


17 


four and one-half inch hole in the 
putting green. To putt successfully, 
place the putter immediately behind 
the ball, keeping the putter face per¬ 
fectly square with the cup. Adjust 
your feet to suit the club and keep 
nearly all the weight of the body on the 
LEFT foot. In swinging this club, use 
the WRISTS only and keep the head 
and body perfectly still. Allow the 
putter head to follow after the ball for 
a short distance—eighteen inches ap¬ 
proximately—which will tend to keep 
the ball running straight after it leaves 
the club. But, while following after 
the ball, be sure the club face is held 
square with the hole. 

These hints will be of material assist¬ 
ance to anyone taking up golf, but are 
not intended for advanced players. 
They will suffice for the beginner until 






i8 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


such time as proficiency in elementary 
knowledge of the game is acquired, but 
it cannot be too strongly emphasized 
that, before commencing the study of 
Part Two, the preceding instructions 
should be mastered thoroughly , and this 
can only be attained by assiduous 
practice and then more practice. 


PART TWO 


Assuming that the reader has, either 
by assimilation of the instructions con¬ 
tained in Part One of this book or other¬ 
wise, reached the stage where he (or 
she) can apparently swing correctly, 
adopt a proper stance, use requisite 
coordination of movements et cetera, 
and yet not hit the ball accurately 
enough to obtain satisfactory results, 
it is evident that this must be due to 
errors in making the various strokes or 
shots used in the whole golf game. In 
the following pages, I will endeavor to 
outline the causes of the most common 
golf errors and attempt to give such 
information as may prove to be the 
remedy for the particular fault in 
question. 


*9 


ao PRACTICAL GOLF 

TLe Topped Shot 

This, in my opinion, is the most in¬ 
excusable error in golf because it is the 
most easily corrected, and any player 
should cure it for himself if he but 
devote sufficient thought as to why 
the shot resulted in a topped ball. By 
topped shot or topped ball is meant 
that, in striking, the club head meets 
the ball somewhere above the center, 
thereby applying the driving power to 
the upper half of the ball, which tries 
to take a downward path and is only 
kept from doing so by the fact that 
the ground offers some great resistance, 
with the result that the ball bumps, 
bounds or rolls along the ground for a 
short distance into any yawning ditch 
or hazard that may be in the direct 
line' of its path. Sometimes we say a 
ball has been half-topped, which means 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


21 


that the power of the swing has been 
applied just above the center of the 
ball, resulting in a shot where it rises 
only a few feet from the ground. 
Occasionally, however, the half-topped 
ball nets great reward by running a 
considerable distance but, nevertheless, 
is the result of a badly executed swing 
and should be shunned. 

The causes of topping are four in 
number: 

i. Raising the head and shoulders during 
the backward or downward swing . 

The elevation of the shoulders is 
thereby raised so that, when the club 
is swung towards the ball, the club 
and arms are not long enough to fit 
the distance between ball and left 
shoulder. 

Correct this by concentrating on 
keeping the head well down during the 


22 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


back and downward swings, and see to 
it that the shoulders do not rise higher 
during the swing than they were at the 
address. 

2. Shortening of the left arm at the elbow 
during the up or down swing . 

Obviously, if the left arm plus the 
length of the club fits the distance 
between back of ball and left shoulder 
it follows that, if during the up or 
down swing the player shortens the 
left arm by bending the elbow, the club 
plus the length of shortened left arm 
will not fit distance from back of ball 
to left shoulder but will probably be 
about two inches shorter and, accord¬ 
ingly, just about fit in between top of 
ball and left shoulder, resulting, there¬ 
by, in a topped shot. 

The remedy in this case is to set the 
left arm almost straight at the address 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


2 3 

and maintain the arm at same tension 
during the up and down swings. 

3. Standing too far in front of the ball . 
Here the club head meets the ball 

before the bottom of the swing or arc 
has been reached. 

This fault is easily corrected by the 
player simply trying a few shots with 
the ball a little nearer the left foot or, 
in other words, move the ball forward 
a few inches. 

4. Standing too far behind the ball . 

In this case the club does not meet 
the ball until the club head has started 
on its upward flight on the follow 
through and is a common occurrence 
with those players who attempt to lift 
or scoop the ball into the air. The 
club reaches the bottom of the arc 
several inches before it reaches the 
ball and, as it has commenced to ascend 


24 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


on the follow-through swing, the impact 
takes place near the top of the ball, 
which is forced down on to the ground. 

Balls topped in this manner are good 
runners except where hazards intercept 
them. 

To determine whether the top is due 
to this cause, move the ball gradually, 
in successive shots, from one to four 
inches nearer the right foot. 

While these are the four reasons for 
strokes resulting in topped balls, the 
player may, unfortunately, be afflicted 
with more than one of them. However, 
by careful practice and real hard 
thinking, he can effect a cure for the 
habit. 

The Skied Ball 

0 With the Driver) 

By skying is meant that the power 
of the swing has been applied to the 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


25 


under side of the ball whereby it is 
sent high in the air, oftentimes getting 
about half the desired distance and 
then, again, merely rising in the air 
almost perpendicularly, the distance 
forward being determined by the 
power of the swing and the point of 
contact. 

The causes of skying are three in 
number: 

I. Lowering the shoulders during the up 
or down swing . 

In this case, length of club plus 
length of left arm is longer than dis¬ 
tance between back of ball and left 
shoulder. 

The cure consists in concentrating on 
keeping head and shoulders at same 
elevation during swing as when at 
address. 


26 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


2. Bending the knee too much during the 

up or down swing. 

The shoulders are in consequence 
lowered, resulting again in the club plus 
length of left arm being too long to fit 
distance between back of ball and left 
shoulder. 

Correct this fault by concentrating 
on knee action, being careful that the 
knees do not sag too much. 

3. Losing balance by jailing forward on 

the ball . 

This is mainly the result of standing 
too far away from the ball at address, 
causing the player to reach too far 
forward in hitting, as a consequence 
of which he first gets on to the toes of 
both feet, then loses his balance and 
falls forward while the club head buries 
itself in the ground under the ball. 

Correct this fault by standing suffi- 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


V 


ciently near the ball to allow the end 
of the club shaft to rest just above the 
knee cap and keep the weight of the 
legs well back on the heels, making 
sure that the left heel is on the ground 
when the club hits the ball. Finally, 
keep the head steady, with the eye 
fixed on that part of the ball where the 
impact occurs. 

Slicing with the Wood Clubs 

The causes are four in number: 

i. Hitting the ball while the face of the 
club is lying off or , as some say , hit¬ 
ting with the face of the club too open . 

The face of the club has three 
sections—toe, center and heel. The 
toe is that part of the hitting face 
farthest from the player, the center is 
the middle section which is sometimes 
fitted with ivory, steel or fiber, while 
the heel is that part nearest the player 



28 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


—the whole constituting the striking 
face of the club. S. 

In this case, the heel of the face 
instead of the center meets the ball, 
resulting in a decided slice and, if the 
face of the club is tilted back some¬ 
what or lying off, the slice will be very 
pronounced. • Heeling is simply a slight 
over-reach. 

To correct this, attend to the arms, 
which have been swinging too loose, 
while the elbows have been allowed to 
swing too far from the body. Keep the 
right elbow well into the body during 
the up and down swing, for one cannot 
over-reach if the elbow is kept close to 
the body. 

2 . Hitting the hall from outside to inside 
of the line. 

Imagine a line from ball to green; 
then, if the club comes to the ball from 
outside of that line, it will necessarily 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


29 


finish inside the line, thereby drawing 
the face of the club across the ball 
from out to in and, in so doing, produce 
a side spin to the ball which will travel 
in the direction of the spin, i. e., slice. 
This error is often occasioned by 
standing too near the ball, but in 
most cases is due to swinging with a 
loop, which condition is very difficult 
to cure where the victim has been loop¬ 
ing for any length of time. 

To remedy it, be sure that the club 
comes to the ball on the same plane as 
when going back, i.e., make the club 
go back and come down in the same 
groove. 

Good results are often obtained by 
trying to hit out across the ball—that 
is, hit from inside the imaginary line to 
outside, having club cross the line at 
the ball. In the down swing, keep the 
club close to the right shoulder as long 


30 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


as possible; then the club will travel to 
the ball from inside the line. 

3. Left hand too jar under the club shaft 

and gripping with palm of left hand . 

In this position, the left wrist will 
collapse at impact, thereby causing the 
club to be drawn across the ball from 
out to in. 

Correct this by gripping the club in 
the fingers of the left hand, the first 
three knuckles showing, and having the 
V formed by the forefinger and thumb 
pointing to right shoulder. The left 
wrist should be firm at impact, en¬ 
abling the club head to follow on after 
the ball. The left wrist receives the 
shock in hitting and should be firm at 
impact. 

4. Pulling away the left foot at impact . 

As the club head meets the ball, the 
left foot is drawn away from it, with 


PRACTICAL GOLF 31 

the result that the club is drawn across 
the ball from out to in, producing a 
slice. I have seen balls pulled where 
the left foot was drawn away at impact 
but only in cases where the player was 
guilty of a complication of faults. 
Drawing the left foot away at impact 
will produce a slice, provided the club 
face is held square with the ball, but 
when the club face is turned in it is 
possible to produce a pull. 

To remedy this defect, practice hav¬ 
ing the left foot flat on the ground at 
impact and bring the greater portion of 
the body weight onto the left leg on the 
follow through. Be sure the left heel 
is flat on the ground at impact, and try 
to make the weight of the right side of 
the body and the club head work to¬ 
gether—always towards the ball. 

Slicing may also be the result of 
faulty feet, knee, hip or shoulder work, 


3* 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


but would then be merely a com¬ 
bination of errors which would still 
cause the club head to do the same 
thing, i. e., cut across the ball from 
outside to inside the line. It is the 
player’s duty to find which particular 
fault is the cause of the slice and 
remedy it accordingly. If the head is 
kept steady with the shoulders at a 
uniform elevation, he will soon dis¬ 
cover the particular cause of slicing in 
his case. 

Pulling or Hooking 

The causes are four in number. 

i. Having the ball too near the left foot , 
which foot itself is in advanced position . 

All of which means that the player, 
standing well behind the ball with the 
right foot drawn back, swings the club 
from inside the line to outside, crossing 
the line at the ball. This swing will 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


33 


result in a pull or hook, provided the 
club has been held correctly. Many 
good drivers stand and hit in this 
manner, but it is ruinous in iron play. 

To correct the pull in this case, draw 
the left foot back on a line with the 
right foot and play the ball from inside 
the left heel. Straight driving will 
quickly follow. 

2. Turning the club face in towards the 
ball at impact . 

This habit is due to having the right 
hand too far under the club handle so 
that, at impact, the right hand is 
turning the club face into the ball too 
abruptly, which causes a pull or hook. 

To remedy this state of affairs, be 
careful that the V formed by the 
forefinger and thumb of right hand is 
pointing towards the right shoulder 
and not towards the right hip. 


34 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


3. Poor ?nanipulation of body weight. 

if, at impact, the left hip is pulled 
suddenly away from the ball, you will 
cause yourself to swing as if you were 
trying to hit around a corner. 

As a matter of fact, this is not an actual 
pull but is a ball driven in the wrong 
direction and, to overcome it, bring the 
weight of the right hip into the ball 
with the club head and be sure that 
you are well up on the ball of the right 
foot at finish of swing. In this way 
the left hip cannot be drawn back from 
the ball, but, if afflicted with the habit, 
you should secure the services of a 
professional to watch you swing and 
have the fault corrected. 

4. Standing too far fro?n the ball. 

The player is thereby caused to 
swing too flat and nearly always hits 
the ball with the toe part of the club 
face, producing a pull or hook. 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


35 


Overcome this by standing a little 
nearer to the ball and swing in a more 
upright circle. In addition, try to 
hit the ball with the center of the club 
face. 

Passing now from the causes of 
faulty strokes, the description of which 
it is hoped has enabled the reader to 
detect his faults—and who is without 
them—I shall proceed to elaborate on 
the golf swing. 

Timing the Stroke of the Wrists 
in Driving 

All successful shots depend on proper 
timing with the wrist, and it is from 
the effort of the wrists that long dis¬ 
tance is attained. During the up or 
backswing, the wrists bend immediately 
the swing is commenced, and the club 
is carried from its position at right hip 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


36 

by means of the arms alone until the 
top of the swing is reached.^ , The down 
swing is commenced by the arms, with 
the elbows leading until a point oppo¬ 
site and to the right of the right thigh 
has been reached, when the wrists, with 
quick, accelerated movement, drive the 
club head on to and through the ball, 
continuing this drive up as high as the 
left shoulder, whereupon the arms again 
take control and carry the clubhead back 
over the left shoulder. This is one of 
the most difficult points to master in 
the golf swing and is very essential to 
long distance. Most pupils use the wrists 
on the down stroke too early in the 
swing, with a resulting waste of effort 
before the club head reaches the ball. 
In order to attain correct timing a 
good method is to take the club back 
with the wrists only, going no higher 
than the right thigh, from which point, 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


37 


swing with the wrists and hands on to 
and through the ball—at all times 
keeping the left elbow in a well 
straightened position. After practic¬ 
ing this for some time, try taking the 
club back as high as the right shoulder 
and, while swinging down, let the 
elbows lead until the right thigh is 
reached—then bang into the ball with 
all the power of the hands and wrists. 
Provided you are swinging correctly 
on the down swing, you will notice 
that the club shaft remains close to the 
right shoulder until the wrists begin 
to make their effort. The speedier 
the wrists at impact, the greater will 
be the distance obtained. Therefore, 
do not make the wrists drive too soon 
during the down swing. Attempt at 
all times to feel the club head on the 
end of the shaft, as this will assist you 
in timing the wrist and hand effort. 


38 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


Bear in mind that the special function 
of these members is to bring the club 
head from behind round on the ball, 
but at the same time do not bring the 
club head to the ball too early in the 
swing for, inasmuch as the club head 
is farthest removed from the ball at 
top of swing, it must necessarily be 
last to reach the ball on the down 
swing, which readily explains why 
you should let the elbows lead on the 
down swing and keep the club head 
back until the right thigh is reached— 
then and then only get in your wrist 
and hand work. 

The Midiron Swing 

The midiron should be of fairly 
upright lie and medium length of shaft 
with a fair degree of loft, while the 
weight of the club should depend upon 
the strength of the player's wrists. 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


39 


Demanding an upright swing, it is 
important that the shaft be not too 
long. Set the club face at right angles 
to the line of play, keeping the ball 
about midway between the feet. Stand 
with the right foot advanced about four 
inches, making sure that the left wrist 
and elbow are straight and stiff. Next, 
place the club in such position that it 
and the left arm act as a unit, i. e., 
as if the club was a continuation of the 
arm. 

The whole success of the stroke 
depends on the LEFT wrist and arm, 
both of which must remain stiff until 
the ball is on its way. After hitting 
the ball, allow the clubhead to follow, 
as far as the arms can reach, along the 
line from ball to green. Occasionally 
the expression is heard ‘‘a wrist shot 
with the midiron,” which does not 
mean that the swing is from the 


40 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


wrists only but does mean that the 
swing is made with a short, stiff- 
wristed swing. Take care that the 
bottom edge of the club is at right 
angles to line of play, as this line is the 
only one from which you can judge 
direction. Grip the midiron firmly at 
all times, and keep the head and 
shoulders at an even elevation during 
the entire swing. 

The Mashie, Full Stroke 

Play the ball from a point directly 
between the feet and stand with the 
right foot advanced about four inches. 
Be sure that the club and left arm are 
acting as one unit, and keep the right 
elbow close to the body during the 
entire swing. As with the midiron, 
so with the mashie; success depends 
on the left arm and wrist and, in hitting, 
make all the effort a downward hit 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


41 


from the top of the swing to the ball. 
This will insure hitting the ball on the 
down swing as a consequence of which 
the club will not enter the turf until it 
has first hit the ball on its way. As in 
playing the midiron, allow the club- 
head to follow along the line of flight 
as far as the arms can reach. 

Socketing is a very common fault in 
playing the mashie, and is caused by 
overreaching the ball as also by using 
too much pivot in mashie play. 

To cure overreaching keep the elbows 
against the body on the up swing and 
until the club has hit the ball. 

To overcome excessive pivoting in 
mashie play, keep the left heel flat 
on the ground on up swing, and swing 
the club head in an imaginary line 
from back of ball to green. This is 
very effective in curing overreaching 
with a mashie, so practice it carefully. 


4* 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


To insure proper direction with the 
mashie, be sure that the bottom edge 
of the club is at true right angles to 
line of play. 

Niblick Play 

The niblick is played ordinarily the 
same as the mashie with the exception, 
that, when in heavy loose sand, the 
player must aim at a spot about 
three inches behind the ball and en¬ 
deavor to make the club head plow 
its way through under the ball, scooping 
out a lot of sand with the ball. This 
is a stroke which calls for great strength 
in the wrists to carry the club on 
through the sand. Grip tightly when 
using the niblick. 

The Putter 

Successful putting is the result of 
practice, but necessary qualifications 
are good eyes, delicate touch and un- 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


43 


ruffled nerves. This is one depart¬ 
ment of the game where mind triumphs 
over matter, for, if we can only make 
the muscles obey the commands of the 
mind, we can all be first class putters. 
Place the putter back of the ball with 
the club head at true right angles to 
line of play and then set the feet about 
twelve inches apart, with the greater 
portion of the body weight on the left 
foot. The ball should be at a point 
about opposite the left heel. Take the 
club back in a direct straight line from 
the ball by means of the left wrist only, 
and, still keeping the club head on 
the direct straight line from ball to hole, 
hit it forward with the right hand, at 
the same time letting the left wrist sag. 
During this swing the control changes 
from left hand on back swing to right 
hand on forward swing, which is the 
only true swing for the putter. It ap- 


j > / 


44 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


pears incorrect to say the control 
changes from one hand to the other, 
but careful study will prove the cor¬ 
rectness of this statement. 

The Run-Up Shot 

Use the midiron, mashie iron, jigger, 
or mashie. Stand slightly in front of 
the ball and play the ball from a point 
about two inches inside the right heel. 

Keep the left arm and wrists very 
stiff and, as the club meets the ball, 
roll the club face into the ball, and, on 
the follow through, keep the club head 
over the line from ball to flag. A 
little practice will soon develop per¬ 
fection in this stroke. 

Backspin Stroke with Mashie Niblick 

First or proper method as. used by the 
great majority of expert players . 

Play the ball from a point almost 
opposite the left heel, stand with the 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


45 


feet very open so that the club can be 
drawn across the ball from out to in. 
Lay the club face well back and stand 
as if aiming at a point about ten yards 
to left of play, and hit with a firm, 
stiff-armed swing. Keep the club head 
low after hitting the ball, and make 
sure the club face is kept open during 
the entire swing. 

Second method of playing the backspin 
shot with mashie , mashie niblick or 
any well-lofted face club. 

This is the stroke where the ball is 
projected high in the air, the idea being 
to make the ball drop perpendicularly 
so that there will be little or no forward 
run. Stand with the feet fairly open, 
that is, right foot advanced and left 
foot drawn back from line of flight, 
with left toe pointing to left of 
objective. Keep the club face open 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


46 

and swing decidedly upright, i. e., 
make the club head swing from bottom 
to top of arc. The wrists, in this 
stroke, are allowed plenty of action, 
especially at impact, for at this point 
the wrists should be trying to turn the 
club head quickly up on the follow- 
through swing. That means, as soon 
as the club head has reached the ball, 
the wrists endeavor to carry the club 
head skywards, thereby projecting the 
ball into the air. This is a very deli¬ 
cate stroke and requires great con¬ 
centration and should not be attempted 
by inexperienced players, since it is 
seldom resorted to even by the experts, 
who depend more on the stiff-wristed 
backspin stroke. 

Remember it is not the ball that 
flies highest which has the most back- 
spin. The low traveling stiff-armed 
backspin stroke is the better stroke to 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


47 


use in instances where a backspin shot 
is required. 

In playing the short approach back- 
spin stroke, many golfers frequently 
complain of hitting the ground before 
reaching the ball. This is a fault 
caused mainly by too loose wrists, 
resulting in the left wrist collapsing 
before the club head has reached the 
ball. 

When a beginner is unable to make 
the club head connect squarely with 
the ball, the fault is either the pupil has 
not sufficient strength in his wrists and 
hands to guide the club accurately, or 
he has not played for a sufficient length 
of time to develop the touch in hand 
and wrists. 

Many ladies are victims of this habit 
for the reason that their wrists are too 
weak to control the club. 


4 8 


PRACTICAL GOLF 


In conclusion, to those readers of this 
little book who are desirous of becom¬ 
ing golfers in the true acceptance of 
the word, I would reiterate that suc¬ 
cess will only be achieved through per¬ 
sistent practice, sincere study of the 
fundamentals and a great deal of hard 
thinking. 














